I was fortunate enough to begin reading Into The Wild last Friday (1/8/10). I had some extra time so I went to Bowman, set up my ENO Doublesnest Hammock, and began reading. Before I realized it, I had read all four (4) of the assigned chapters. It was then when I realized, "Hey! I kinda like this book."
I actually ended up finishing the book after the UNC game this past Wednesday (1/13/08). Krakauer tells the story of Chris McCandless in a very unique way. Krakauer is simply telling the facts of McCandless' voyage, but does so in a way it almost seems that he were there, side by side with McCandless.
One of the most debated topics in the book is whether or not Chris McCandless is, in fact, insane. I will most likely begin to hit on this more in detail in my essay, but I do not believe that he was insane. In the beginning of the book, most people get this vision of Chris as narcissistic and, more or less, and idiot. But we see as Krakauer really begins to paint his vision of Chris' story, that Chris actually had a pretty firm head on his shoulders (compared to what we would expect of him to have).
It wasn't until later in the book that Krakauer revealed his own story, beginning in chapter 14. We knew from the beginning that McCandless "struck a personal note that made a dispassionate rendering of the tragedy possible." In chapter 14, we begin to see what exactly that personal note was.
On page 151, we see Krakauer is out at the Stikine Ice Cap and it's planning on trying it again (he already failed the first time, due to the fact his ice picks could no longer penetrate far enough to get a hold). He says, "I know that people sometimes died climging mountains. But at the age of twenty-three, personal mortality-the idea of my own death-was still largely outside my conceptual grasp."
I think because of this insight we gain from Krakauer, we can see that, even though McCandless mention that his odyssey may "prove fatal," it's hard to tell for sure what he was feeling. It's very possible for a 24 year old man to be able to actually perceive his own mortality. Therefore, I believe his logic (in this sense at least) was very close to the younger generations of Modern America. Why else would we drive 2-ton vehicles at velocities approaching and occasionally slipping into the 100's (MPH)? Why do the guys on TV shows like Nitro Circus and like high-adrenaline programs jump out of planes, off cliffs, climb mountains, and several other stunts that very well could end with a funeral?
Chris McCandless, such as the people just mentioned, performed the actions that he did because he wanted to get as close to death as he could without dying. Not necessarily meaning he wanted to get on his "death bed," but that he wanted to stare danger and death in the face and see if he would win. I believe when you look at McCandless in this light, it's easier to see that he wasn't necessarily a lunatic. Narcissistic? Maybe, but I don't feel he was a crazy as some people say.
I also believe that if McCandless had made it back to society, he would have settled down a lot. On page 155, Krakaur accounts that less than a month after sitting on the summit, he was back to the same life he had left back in Boulder. He said that he was a "raw youth who mistook passion for insight." I believe McCandless may have very well fit this profile as well, living his life for a dream and attempting the whole time he's on Earth to accomplish it.
However, we will never know what exactly happened to Chris McCandless if he came out alive. Let's just hope his story will serve a purpose to someone who feels the same as Chris did. Perhaps, even, serve a warning to heed caution. Maybe, just maybe, it will allow another mother's son to keep his life.
